News

Gameprom has released The Pinball HD, an iPad version of its popular set of Pinball games for the iPhone and iPod touch. The Pinball HD combines the tables from Gameprom’s three iPhone pinball games into a single iPad game featuring a higher-resolution display of the detailed 3D graphics, multiple camera angles and realistic physics that the iPhone versions are known for. Pinball tables in The Pinball HD include Wild West, The Deep and Jungle Style, with each table providing unique detailed artwork and distinct gameplay features. Users can also reorient the iPad to view the table in either a full table view or follow the ball in a “flying camerea” view. The Pinball HD is available from the App Store for $3.

The first unboxing and interface photos showing off Apple’s new iPad Camera Connection Kit have been posted online by iLounge Contributing Editor Jerrod H.. Apple’s Kit — which contains two dongles, one 30-pin to female USB connector, and one 30-pin to SD card connector — comes packaged in a small white box with images of both dongles on the front. Once connected, the Photos app shows a new button at the top labeled “Camera,” which shows all the compatible media on the connected device or card, with “Delete Selected” and “Import” buttons at the top. The user can select individual photos and videos to import, and photos that have both RAW and JPG formatted-images are labeled as such. For more information on the Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit, see our First Look article.

Speck Products has unveiled its new ShieldView line of screen protectors for the iPad, iPhone 3G and 3GS, and second- and third-generation iPod touch. ShieldView protectors use static-cling to adhere to the devices’ screen without leaving any residue, and feature an anti-glare finish for improved visibility. In addition, all ShieldView protectors ship in a re-sealable storage envelope to help keep the spare protectors in good condition. Speck’s ShieldView screen protectors come in three-packs for the iPhone and iPod touch and sell for $10; the iPad protectors come in a two-pack, and include a screen cleaning cloth for $25.

Kaweah Delta Health Care District in Visalia, CA is preparing to deploy more than 100 iPads for use by healthcare workers. Network World reports that the while the Nick Volosin, Keweah’s director of technical services, has bought three iPads for testing already, roughly 20 of the hospital’s doctors had already purchased one. “This is going to make my day easier and patient safety better,” Kidney Specialist Dr. Roger Haley said during an interview with a local ABC news station. “Now, I don’t have to find a workstation to do what I need to do; I do it right there, right then, right now.” The 100-plus iPads planned for deployment will be used by all manner of healthcare workers, including home health and hospice care workers, nurses, dietitians, and pharmacists.

Apple has announced the dates for its 2010 London iTunes Festival, to be held at Camden’s Roundhouse in London. As in past years, the Festival will feature 62 bands playing over the 31 nights of July, kicking off with Scissor Sisters on the 1st, Tony Bennett on the 2nd, and Ozzy Osbourne on the 3rd; more artists are expected to be announced in the coming days. For more information, visit the official iTunes Festival website. [via TUAW]

99-year-old Virginia Campbell has become the subject of a recent television segment and a YouTube tribute thanks to her new iPad. In an interview with Fox 12 in Oregon, Campbell revealed that while she had been an avid reader, and enjoyed writing, she had been unable to do either recently due to her glaucoma, which made it impossible for her to read large-print library books or even her own handwriting. Since receiving the iPad, Campbell has been able to read again, thanks in part to the high contrast of the device’s screen, and has been using Pages for composition. Continue reading to see both videos below in embedded form.

Apple may be considering an acquisition of chip designer ARM Holdings, if a curiously-sourced London Evening Standard report is to be believed. Citing “gossips,” the report claims that Apple would be interested in ARM due to its use of ARM’s designs in its iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad processors; these same speculators suggest a deal for ARM would cost around £5.2 billion, or roughly $8 billion. ARM CEO Warren East sees the situation differently, however, telling The Guardian, “Exciting though it is to have [our] share price pushed up by these rumours, common sense tells us that our standard business model is an excellent way for technology companies to gain access to our technology. Nobody has to buy the company.”

In a lengthy post discussing Gizmodo’s procurement of a fourth-generation iPhone prototype, Daring Fireball’s John Gruber has offered up some previously-unknown details about the device, citing inside information from Apple sources familiar with the project. Referencing one of the barcodes found on the outside of the device, “N90_DVT_GE4X_0493,” Gruber writes that “N90” is Apple’s internal codename for the fourth-generation GSM iPhone, slated for release “this June or July.” The “DVT” portion of the code reportedly stands for “device verification test,” an Apple production milestone that occurs very late in a device’s development, suggesting that the unit “very closely, if not exactly” resembles what Apple plans to release.

Regarding the legality of both Gizmodo’s purchase of the device—the site claims to have paid $5,000 for the unit—and the actions of the party that sold it to the publication, Gruber suggests that California law could make the seller and possibly Gizmodo’s editors guilty of a crime. The seller, who used the Facebook application on the device to ascertain the identity of the Apple employee who lost the phone, yet failed to return it to him or his employer, may possibly be guilty of theft, while Gruber argues that Gizmodo’s editors, by purchasing a device they likely knew belonged to Apple, may be guilty of purchasing and receiving stolen property. An iLounge source has indicated that Apple is unlikely to sue Gizmodo for civil damages over the prototype, however.

SplashData has released an update to its popular SplashID Password Manager for the iPhone and iPod touch. The latest version adds the ability to buy additional icons through in-app purchase, a search history, landscape support in web view and a new Pattern Unlock option. The Finger Pattern Unlock option allows users to access the app by tracing a pattern on the iPhone screen rather than typing in a password, providing a more convenient means of quickly accessing the application securely. The update also adds localization into French, German, Italian and Spanish and several other UI improvements. SplashID for the iPhone and iPod touch is available from the App Store for $10.

A number of iPhone users are reporting a loss of Wi-Fi functionality after upgrading to software 3.1.3. Based on an Apple Support discussion thread, the problems date back to the update’s release in February, and appear to affect mostly first-generation iPhone and iPhone 3G units, although a small number of iPhone 3GS owners also claimed to have experienced the issue. Some users state that their iPhones now have the Wi-Fi option grayed out, as if no hardware exists to support it, while others say the option is there, but report failure to find/connect to any networks. As a solution, a number of the users report having had their iPhones replaced, which seems to have corrected the problem in some cases, but in others the new hardware also exhibited the issue; Apple itself has posted a support document outlining an issue where there is no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth address listed on the iPhone or iPod touch, but that issue appears to be unrelated to the problems mentioned in the discussion thread.

iPhone hacker planetbeing has uploaded a video to YouTube demonstrating a version of the Android OS running on the iPhone. The hack is done through a modified version of OpeniBoot, which allows the user to select which operating system will be used to launch the phone. Once loaded, the modified Android build offers support for telephony, Wi-Fi, browsing, and media playback. Notably, the hack was performed using a first-generation iPhone; planetbeing claims that it “should be pretty simple to port forward to the iPhone 3G,” but that the iPhone 3GS “will take more work.” Continue reading to watch the video in embedded form.

Apple has started sending out emails to a select group of current iPad owners asking them to “please complete [a] 15-minute iPad survey” to help the company understand their purchase. Business Insider reports that survey is over 50 questions long, and attempts to discover whether or not iPad owners are still using iPods, eReaders, and laptops following their purchase. Questions include where the iPad was purchased, how the user first heard about the iPad, what types of questions they had before purchasing the iPad, their satisfaction with various features of the device, where they intend to use the device, in what rooms at home do they use the iPad, and who else uses the iPad they purchased.

Following a pair of new television advertisements for the iPhone 3GS that were posted earlier this week, Apple has added a third new spot to its online gallery. “Family Man” continues the recent trend of personal, testimonial-style narration, and describes how different members of the family use the patriarch’s iPhone for various purposes. This latest iPhone 3GS TV ad is available for viewing now on Apple’s website.

Scott A. Snyder Furniture has introduced three new stands for the Apple iPad. Each of the three iPad Stands — numbered #245, #255, and #265 — offers a unique, handmade design. #245 is a one-piece design made from cherry and offering two supporting back legs, while #255 is made from red oak and sports a three-piece design that fits together with small teeth to form a back support, a back, and a bottom. Finally, #265 is made from cherry and jatoba and features a more intricate, multi-piece design, and also allows for access to the dock connector port for charging when the iPad is resting vertically. All three of Scott A. Snyder Furniture’s hardcrafted iPad Stands are available now and sell for $65 each.

Mili has released its Power Skin external battery + case for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, as well as its PocketPal foldable USB charger. First seen at the 2010 International CES, the Power Skin features a 1,200 mAH battery integrated into the case, which features a snap-on top piece for easy device removal, cut-outs for access to the camera, volume and power buttons, headphone jack, and ring/silent switch, and a pass-though mini-USB port that allows for the charging of the encased iPhone. Available in eight two-toned color combinations using black, white, blue, green, orange, and silver, it sells for $70. The PocketPal is billed as the “world’s smallest mobile phone USB charger,” and offers foldable plugs for easy carrying and a 1000mA output; it too is available in a variety of colors and sells for $20. Both the Power Skin and PocketPal will also be available in a bundle for $80.

Monte Vista Christian School in Watsonville, California has launched a new pilot program with 60 iPads that has advanced placement students using the devices a learning tools. “There are many academic advantages,” said Headmaster Stephen Sharp. “They provide new access to photos, videos, daily newspapers and resource material that enhance the curriculum.” Sharp anticipates replacing heavy, traditional textbooks with interactive versions running on the iPad should the pilot program go well. [via MDN]

A Denver man was the recent victim of a gruesome iPad theft that left him missing a finger. Bill Jordan had just left the Apple retail store in the Cherry Creek Mall, shopping bag wrapped around his his fingers, when two men approached and ripped the bag away, taking much of Jordan’s pinky finger. “I saw just a bone, all the skin and tendons and everything were off,” Jordan said; he was later taken to the hospital, where a hand surgeon was forced to amputate part of his finger. The suspects in the robbery, caught on surveillance footage, have yet to be apprehended.

Google has purchased a startup company launched by former P.A. Semi and Apple employees. PEHub reports that Google has confirmed its acquisition of Agnilux, a somewhat mysterious startup rumored to be working on some kind of server and personally funded with proceeds from Apple’s earlier acquisition of P.A. Semi. Pricing terms of the deal have yet to be revealed; it was recently reported that P.A. Semi founder and former Apple employee Dan Dobberpuhl had left Apple to join his other former P.A. Semi colleagues at Agnilux. [via AppleInsider]

According to an ifoAppleStore report, many Apple retail stores are seeing small problems with their iPad displays after just a few weeks on the market. In particular, the power/security cables connected to the iPad are prone to fraying near the 30-pin connector, due to customers’ tendency to repeatedly spin and rotate the device in many different directions. In addition, many units are now left covered in fingerprints, as cleaning has become “less proactive.”

Amidio has released iHolophone, a new digital music instrument for iPhone and iPod touch users. iHolophone allows users to add their own live performance over fully programmable sequencer beats for a futuristic sound. The application includes over 250MB of sequenced sounds 160 factory sequencer patterns, 60 modern instrument sounds and 800 percussive and melodic samples. Users play sounds, melodies and rhythms by placing their fingers on the two HoloDiscs and can access precise sound controls using the touchscreen including attack, release, vibrato, volume and portamento and use the accelerometer for pitch-bending and switching between instruments. As the user plays the screen backgrounds change to produce artistic effects corresponding to the rhythms, sounds and harmonies. iHolophone is available from the App Store for $7. A free iHolophone Happy Birthday Edition is also available which allows users to try the app by playing Happy Birthday.

Following a change in Apple’s Phone developer SDK terms that outlawed intermediary, cross-compatibility tools from iPhone apps, an Adobe employee has responded to the new restrictions. Specifically, section 3.3.1 of the new iPhone developer terms states that “[a]pplications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool,” such as Adobe’s Packager for iPhone that ships with Flash Professional CS5, “are prohibited.” Mike Chambers, Adobe’s Principal Product Manager for developer relations for the Flash Platform, says that “[d]evelopers should be prepared for Apple to remove existing content and applications (100+ on the store today) created with Flash CS5 from the iTunes store.”

Concerning the future of the company’s Flash-to-iPhone-app software, Chambers claims that the company “will still be shipping the ability to target the iPhone and iPad in Flash CS5. However, we are not currently planning any additional investments in that feature.” Chambers adds that he doesn’t have any plans to update or maintain his existing iPhone applications, as he thinks “the closed system that Apple is trying to create is bad for the industry, developers and ultimately consumers, and that is not something that I want to actively promote.” A recent report suggested that Adobe may be considering legal action against Apple over its refusal to allow Flash to run on its iPhone OS devices, and this recent decision to ban iPhone apps made using Flash software. [via Digital Arts]

Announcing its first fiscal quarter 2010 financial results, U.S. iPhone carrier AT&T revealed that it activated 2.7 million of the handsets during the quarter. Taken with Apple’s sales of 8.75 million iPhones over the same period, it appears that roughly 31% of all iPhones sold during the period were sold in the U.S. By comparison, roughly 42% of iPhones sold during the year-ago quarter were sold in the U.S. Of AT&T’s 2.7 million iPhone activations, more than one-third were for customers who were new to AT&T, contributing substantially to the company’s 1.9 million net gain in total wireless subscribers.

STM had debuted its new Jacket, Micro, and Scout bags for the Apple iPad. The Jacket is a sleeve-style case offering a “slider” pocket for quick access to an iPhone or other portable device, a zippered front pocket, soft interior lining, a zippered main closure, water resistant exterior fabric, an integrated handle, and a removable, adjustable shoulder strap. Pricing for the Jacket has yet to be announced. The Micro is a vertical messenger-style bag featuring a zippered, padded iPad compartment with soft interior lining, a business card holder, cord and organizer pocket, and removable key clip all hidden underneath a front flap, integrated handles, and a removable, padded shoulder strap. It sells for $45. Finally, the Scout is also a messenger-style bag, featuring a velcro closure iPad/netbook compartment with cushioned felt lining, a full-sized document pocket, various utility pockets, a buckle closure for the main flap, and a padded shoulder strap. It sells for $50.

This week’s featured photo is from our new iPads Around the World gallery, and shows an iPad overlooking the nighttime skyline of Kuwait City, Kuwait. To share your photos and to be considered for our Photo of the Week, you simply need to submit your own photo to one of our galleries.

In celebration of the iPads Around the World Gallery launch we are giving away a $150 iTunes Gift Card. All you have to do is retweet our message and submit one or more photos of your iPad in front of a landmark and be entered for a chance to win the $150 iTunes Gift Card. The winner will be picked in a random drawing on May 1, 2010.

The IconFactory has released an update to the iPad version of its popular Twitter client. Twitterrific for iPad 1.0.1 adds the ability to save links to Instapaper, use older style retweets and turn off new tweet alert sounds. The update also fixes several bugs and adds support for integration with third-party notification services such as Boxcar. Instapaper for iPad is available from the App Store as a free download. Unlike its iPhone counterpart, Twitterrific for iPad is a single app which is fully functional but ad-supported; instead of downloading a separate Premium app, users can upgrade to the ad-free version via in-app purchase for $5.

During Apple’s Second Quarter 2010 Financial Results Conference Call, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer and Apple COO Tim Cook made several comments concerning its media-related products, including the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. In his opening statements, Oppenheimer said that sales of the iPod touch were up 63% year-over-year, with overall iPod revenue growing 12%, the strongest growth seen in the last two years. According to NPD, the iPod has retained over 70% market share, and continues to gain market share year-over-year in every country tracked, including the U.K. and Japan.

The iTunes Store had its strongest quarter ever, with sales of $1.1 billion, and now offers 12 million songs. Oppenheimer said the App Store now offers 185,000 apps, with four billion downloads to date across 90 countries; the store also now offers 3,500 apps for the iPad. Speaking about the iPhone, Oppenheimer said year-over-year iPhone sales growth was three times IDC’s published estimate for overall smartphone market, and accounted for $5.45 billion in revenue, compared to $2.43 billion in the year-ago quarter. Average Selling Price for the iPhone was about $600, and is based on the sales value of the iPhone, not accessories, and not carrier payments. The device is now available on 151 countries in 88 countries, and is seeing very strong year-over-year growth worldwide, particularly in Asia. Oppenheimer referred to the iPad’s pricing as “very aggressive,” and said the company thinks the market will be large, and wants to capitalize on its “first mover advantage.” The CFO also referred to a “future product transition” that would impact numbers in the upcoming third quarter.

During the Q&A session, Tim Cook said that the company saw “no obvious impact” on Mac or iPod sales from the iPad announcement, although he admitted that the company doesn’t really have enough experience to come to a judgment of possible Mac cannibalization by the iPad. Cook also said that initial iPad sales have “far exceeded” the company’s expectations, and said that it was too early to tell what the mix would be of Wi-Fi versus Wi-Fi + 3G iPad units, as the company has only been selling the Wi-Fi version in stores, and needs to sell them side-by-side in an “unconstrained” environment to get an idea about possible consumer preference for one model or the other.

Regarding iPad production capacity, Cook said the company has “done very well” versus planned capacity, so there’s not exactly a production problem; instead, demand in the U.S. is “much, much stronger” than the company expected, which led them to push the international launch back. Cook said the company is adding production capacity, and will “see where this thing goes,” but said that the level of initial demand had “shocked” the company. The pair declined to say whether Apple will be deferring iPad revenue or instead charging for software updates, stating that the company would discuss that in July on the Q3 conference call, but Cook did say that he was “already personally addicted to mine and couldn’t live without it.” Apple will report the iPad as a line item in its data summary, similar to how it handles the iPhone, including revenue for iPad units and iPad-specific accessories.

Speaking on the company’s record-setting iPhone sales, Cook said that channel inventory was essentially flat, but the company saw “staggering” year-over-year growth rates in Japan (183%), Europe (133%), and Asia (470%), some of which can be attributed to adding new carriers, as well as strong performance from existing carrier partners. China, in particular, saw strong growth, with mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan seeing iPhone unit growth of 9x, with 800 distribution points added, and has accounted for $1.3 billion in revenue through the first half of Apple’s fiscal 2010, up roughly 200% year-over-year.

Cook also said that AT&T continues to work “very hard” and has made big strides towards improving its network, something that Apple expects to continue. He did note, however, that the U.S. is one of only three main countries where Apple has a contractual exclusive relationship with the iPhone’s carrier, and that the company has seen unit sales and market share improve everywhere they’ve moved from an exclusive to non-exclusive arrangement, although he also said that’s not proof that moving to a non-exclusive arrangement would work everywhere. In response to a questioner who noted that average iPhone sales per operator were 58,000, Cook responded that the number isn’t meaningful because some carriers do a few million units while others do very low numbers, but overall the company can drive those numbers up through product innovation, including software and hardware, as well as through new products, new carriers, new distribution points, geographic expansion, and great marketing. Another questioner noted that Cook had not mentioned price, to which he responded that sales of the iPhone 3GS at a higher price point than the iPhone 3G demonstrated that consumers were willing to pay more for innovative products containing the sort of hardware and software Apple has developed. The response suggested that price was not a critical issue from Apple’s perspective at this point in time.

On the Apple TV, Cook said that unit sales for the second quarter were up 34% year-over-year, but added that the absolute number of units is still small, and the company still classifies it as a “hobby.” Cook went on to point out the large markets for the Mac (300 million units/year), iPhone (1.2 billion units/year), and iPod (100 million units/year), all “enormous markets.” The market for the Apple TV is not nearly as large yet, but he said that the company continues to think there’s something interesting there and is continuing to invest in it.